Arkansas Sports 360 - ArkansasSports360.com

7/12/2010 at 12:00am

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Getting to the football at full speed is a goal of the Arkansas defense this season. Coaches are hoping for an improved defense in 2010.

FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas has a clear-cut goal for its defense this fall. How attainable the mark is remains to be seen.

Coach Bobby Petrino was vocal in the offseason about wanting to see the defense crack into the top 20 nationally. Considering that would be the best finish for the Razorbacks in a decade, the request might seem a bit lofty.

In fact, from the outside looking in, it seems like the Razorbacks’ defensive coaches and players are being set up for failure. Safety Jerico Nelson doesn’t view it that way at all, though.

“Expectations are high here. Sometimes you have to set the goal high to achieve that goal,” Nelson said. “That’s what we’re doing. We want to reach that goal he’s set for us. We have a great offense. We want to be up there with them.”

Reaching the goal will be tough. It’s also very necessary based on SEC history and what Arkansas is hoping to do this season. Competing for an SEC title is usually out of the question unless a team’s defense is ranked 20th or better.

Only two SEC champs the last decade have finished outside the top 20 in total defense. Florida ranked 42nd in 2000 and LSU 75th in 2001, but since then the lowest national defensive mark for any SEC title winner was Georgia at 18th in 2005.

LSU led the nation in 2003 and not coincidentally won the national title. Alabama was second nationally in total defense on its way to the 2009 title.

Arkansas’ best defensive finish in the country came in 2000 when the Razorbacks ranked 12th. They haven’t finished in the top 20 nationally since and have been in the bottom half of Division I teams four times, including the last two seasons under Petrino.

Defensive coordinator Willy Robinson, in the final year of a three-year deal that pays $300,000 annually, has come under criticism for the play of the defense in his first two seasons. Arkansas was 72nd in total defense in 2008 and worse in 2009, finishing 89th nationally.

Progress was made last year even if the total defensive numbers weren’t better, Robinson said. There are some statistical indications to back that up.

Only five teams in the country had a better turnover margin than the Razorbacks. They forced 30 turnovers — up 14 takeaways from the season before. There were marked improvements in rushing defense, scoring defense and tackles for loss.

It was Arkansas’ defense that saved the day in the Liberty Bowl when the offense struggled. Five of the team’s top seven tacklers return and Arkansas looked better in the spring because of it. Coaches, including new addition Steve Caldwell, the Arkansas State graduate who spent more than a decade at Tennessee with Phil Fulmer, scaled back the playbook and simplified things.

Players not having to think as much seemed to help the defense get to the ball faster and tackle better.

“You have to be happy with where we are,” Robinson said. “We have corrections to make, sure. But we feel much better about things than we did.”

How will the Razorbacks continue improving in 2010? What proof is there that the defense will be not just better, but among the top one-sixth of the schools playing in the FBS?

Start with the experience coming back. Arkansas only has to replace starters at three positions and just one of those, defensive tackle Malcolm Sheppard, was an All-SEC type player.

Arkansas’ top two defensive playmakers from the bowl return. Junior safety Tramain Thomas and junior linebacker Jerry Franklin each had an interception and Franklin finished with a team-high 10 tackles.

“We’ve been taking it personal with people talking about us being the weak link on the team,” Thomas said in the spring.

Newcomers Jared Lake and Braylon Mitchell are being counted on to provide additional depth at linebacker, the weakest spot on defense. Provided the Razorbacks get contributions from some of their incoming players, including defensive tackle Byran Jones, then the defense could be as deep as it has been in a while.

Secondary depth is improving. Cornerback Isaac Madison will return from knee surgery, allowing Rudell Crim to move to safety. Crim’s move seems to get more speed on the field, including adding sophomore Darius Winston, who coaches think is poised to live up to his billing as a five-star recruit.

Considering all the experience returning, junior defensive end Jake Bequette thinks there is reason for optimism. Yes, the goal of a Top 20 defense is lofty, but Bequette doesn’t see it as unattainable.

“We’ve got guys that were young the last two years stepping up and coming into their own, and we’ve got some good players coming in,” Bequette said. “People forget that we’ve been inexperienced. I really like the way our defense is shaping up for this year.

“This is the year we connect all the dots.”

Tagged: Arkansas Razorbacks, Jake Bequette, Isaac Madison, Byran Jones, Braylon Mitchell, Jared Lake, Jerry Franklin, Tramain Thomas, Malcolm Sheppard, Liberty Bowl, Jerico Nelson, Willy Robinson, Bobby Petrino